Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to fluid hydraulic system design, and, more particularly, to combining at least two miscible fluids through a controlled uniform and axi-symmetric mixing of such fluids.
Description of the Related Art
In conventional fluid hydraulic system design, induction of a swirl into a main flow of a fluid typically use conventional tangential injection methods, which are characterized by utilizing numerous tangential injection ports (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4 or more), stirred tank methods or swirl vane devices. For example, a conventional Quad-Port tangential injection device and a streamline plot of its swirl pattern is shown in FIG. 1. These conventional methods and devices impart less-than-perfectly-uniform swirl rotational pattern downstream from the swirl induction. FIG. 2 illustrates a swirl rotational pattern taken 1.111 m downstream from the Quad-Port tangential injection device shown in FIG. 1. Similarly, FIG. 3 illustrates a swirl rotational pattern from a swirl vane device. In general, however, the relative strength of the swirl (the thus the swirl pattern itself) exponentially attenuates as in passes downstream. These conventional swirl generators are unable to reliably provide desired axi-symmetric and uniform flow fields. Additionally, conventional devices and method used for inducing a swirl into a fluidic flow are unable to predictably meter (i.e., control) the mixing characteristics of the swirl generator. Such conventional swirl generators produce an inconsistent and insufficient axially symmetric swirl flow to the incoming inlet flow. The resultant swirl remains inconsistent and insufficient over a suitable downstream distance from the injection location.
Moreover, conventional swirl generators require significant calibration, unique to each test configuration, of the entire apparatus to produce the desired swirl characteristics. For example, to modify the swirl flow intensities from a swirl vane, the entire swirl vane device requires replacement. Swirl vanes and other conventional swirl generators also introduce substantial pressure drops to fluid systems where the swirl is introduced.
What is desired is a uniform axi-symmetric swirling flow; for example, mixing and stirring for process flow engineering. Furthermore, is it desirable that such a swirling flow be predictable and does not introduce a substantial pressure drop to the system.